


The Sun Shines in Winter

by azamaisinnocent (alunbalanced)



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: FEMu is Kamui, M/M, Mmu is Corrin, Slow Burn, bri is gonna kick my ass for this, im gonna kick my own ass for this, in progress, lack of regular sleep schedule is a helluva drug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 07:26:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8615002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alunbalanced/pseuds/azamaisinnocent
Summary: Jakob doesn't consider himself a religious man. Certainly, his lieges seemed to have the blessing of some kind of deity, their siblings of both Nohrian and Hoshidan descent claimed the blood of draconic gods of old… But that didn't mean he had to believe all that drivel. The world he'd grown up in had cured him of such idealistic nonsense as that.Nonetheless, when he saw that idiotic grin determinedly aimed in his direction, casting off light as if he were the sun itself, a god-given light in the darkest of times - he could almost believe there was more than his own cynical view of the world, and maybe, just maybe, the gods really did walk amongst men.





	1. Chapter 1

It started out much the same as any other day: waking early to prepare for the day and be available for anything and everything Lord Corrin and Lady Kamui may need him for. His daily ablutions were nothing out of the ordinary, braiding his hair and tying it back with a neat ribbon, straightening his clothing (freshly laundered and pressed), washing the last vestiges of sleep from his face with cool water from the small basin in his room.

He looked in the mirror to assure himself that he was perfectly presentable and, with a satisfied nod, headed out to prepare breakfast and tea for his lieges. The sun had yet to peek over the horizon, but there was already plenty of work to be done.

  
As he cut fresh fruit, water boiled in a kettle for the tea, sausages sizzled in a pan, and his mind operated on a steady repeating refrain of the duties for the day.

  
_Prepare breakfast, stoke the fire, gather the laundry, wash the laundry, hang the laundry to dry, fix lunch, train for exactly two hours, wash up, iron, press, fold the dry laundry_ \- it went on and on, detailing his day.

  
His thoughts were interrupted as someone entered the kitchen - one of Lord Takumi’s retainers. He watched from the corner of his eye as the young man snagged an apple from the top of a barrel containing them, polishing it on his clothes (wrinkled) and biting into it with a loud crunch. He strolled around the kitchen as though it were his own, and Jakob noted his interest in the browning sausages. He quickly maneuvered so he stood directly in the way of the other retainers goal. His Lord and Lady’s breakfast would not be subject to raiding by dirty fingers, or any fingers that wished to remain attached to the hand they belonged to, at least.

  
The brunet pouted faintly, before shrugging and taking another bite out of his apple with an appreciative hum.

  
“How’re you doin’ this mornin’, Jakob? Makin’ breakfast for yourself?”

  
His lip curled slightly.

  
“... It is not for myself - taking care of my lieges needs comes before my own.”

  
As he spoke, he unloaded the sausages onto a proper serving plate, covering them quickly to keep them fresh and piping hot before setting it aside to do the same with the sliced fruit. As soon as he had finished, the kettle started to scream, and he swiftly removed it to empty it into the waiting tea pot.

  
All of this accomplished, he placed the meal on a large tray and hefted it, paying no more mind to the man who had finished off the apple and now seemed in search of more food.

  
He left the kitchen with purposeful strides, carrying him closer to his life’s purpose, the ones who gave him reason to continue - and noticed within seconds that he was being followed. With a grimace, he realized that the other retainer seemed to be trailing after him, like an excited hound dog might follow potential table scraps. With an aggravated sigh, and without bothering to turn around, he addressed the other man.

  
“Have you nothing better to do than follow after me like a lost pup? Go find a way to make yourself useful - I've work to do, and no patience to babysit.”

  
He'd hoped the caustic tone of his words would scare the smiling man off, as they did most people, but it almost seemed like nothing could stop the bounce in his step.

  
“Awww, I figured after you got the Lord and Lady their breakfast, you'd make yourself something - and maybe something for me, too?”

  
He could almost picture the wagging tail now, and he let out a disgusted noise.

  
“I will make something small for myself, but I have no intention of feeding you - if I do, you'll never leave. It's always the same with strays.”

  
He couldn't have said he didn't expect the whine that came after that statement.

  
“Whaaaat? Why not - you're gonna be back in the kitchen, anyways, what'd be stoppin’ you from makin’ a lil’ somethin’ for ol’ Hinata?”

  
Ah, so that was his name - he remembered hearing it somewhere else, belatedly. He'd written it off then as superfluous to his duties, as he did now.

  
“Because I serve only Lady Kamui and Lord Corrin - there is no room for any others, and I have no obligation to feed someone who doesn't even have the sense to prepare a meal for his own liege - why Lord Takumi tolerates such a sloppy, lazy retainer is far beyond me.”

  
He made sure to bleed as much disapproval into his words as he could, finally reaching the wing where his Lord and Lady made their beds. With a final sigh, his pursuer finally peeled off.

  
“Aww, whatever - maybe another day. I'll hold you to it!”

  
Jakob mentally shook his head as he toed open the door to the parlor his lieges shared.

  
“There will be no holding anyone to anything…”

  
“Ah, good morning - did you say something, Jakob?”

  
“Of course not, my lady.”

  
He lied smoothly as he placed the full tray on the table already set for breakfast and set about the next of his duties. Of course his lady would already be up and working on the pile of paperwork that never seemed to diminish at her desk. He carefully poured a cup of tea and prepared a small plate of vittles for her, and she offered him a wan smile.

  
“Cold, this morning. Winter is on its way. I've just finished reading through a requisition for extra blankets for the troops - it looks to be shaping up to be a cold, bleak season.”

  
He bowed easily.

  
“Allow me to stoke up the fire and warm your clothes for the day - that should help to chase away the chill.”

  
Kamui offered him a more genuine smile.

  
“You're a blessing, Jakob - truly.”

  
His heart warmed at the praise - so like the sun that seemed so reluctant to rise today, and he set about working through the rest of his list.

  
_Stoke the fire, gather the laundry, wash the laundry, hang the laundry to dry, fix lunch, train for exactly two hours, wash up, iron, press, fold the dry laundry, prepare dinner..._

 


	2. Chapter 2

By the time the next week had rolled around, Jakob had put the encounter from his mind. He had more important things to focus on than some slobbish retainer who had no sense of boundaries — which is why he was surprised (and vaguely annoyed) when Hinata tracked him down in the laundry room, hands linked lazily behind his head. Jakob absently noted that his hair needed a good trim — the bangs were likely starting to hinder his sight at the current length — before he dismissed the thought. What did he care, anyways?

 

“Yo! Jakob, what're you up to down here?”

 

That insufferable grin was firmly attached, and Jakob found himself wishing he knew of a way to remove it… lessen it, somehow. He continued what he was doing (sleeves neatly rolled up, scrubbing soaking garments against a washboard in a steady rhythm) and paid the address no mind. Perhaps if he was lucky, Hinata would take the subtle hint and leave him be.

 

Fate deemed him unlucky today, apparently. Hinata continued talking, as though Jakob had responded, had invited him to keep the conversation going. He closed his eyes briefly as he barely held back the sigh of frustration.

 

“Washin’ the laundry, huh? Hey, you haven't seen any of my drawers hangin’ around, have ya? I coulda sworn I had more, but it looks like I ran out this mornin’, and I can't for the life of me remember where they went.”

 

Jakob spared him a glance that spoke of his disinterest and lack of impressment.

 

Hinata took that as a no and continued blathering — Jakob had never wished so hard for a sudden disaster, a diversion from the inane babble he was currently trapped and listening to.

 

As if the heavens had heard his thoughts, he heard the shouts from upstairs signaling an attack. He immediately abandoned the task at hand and raced up the stairs, Hinata close at his heels; he could hear the other man cursing under his breath. From what he could gather, Hinata had… left his sword in his quarters? The imbecile!

 

Jakob tutted in disapproval as he drew his favorite dagger and sprinted to fill the position waiting for him. Distantly, he registered Hinata’s shout.

 

“Make sure you save some for me, hey? And lemme know if you come across any of my drawers when ya get back to the laundry!”

 

His look of incredulity when he turned was missed — Hinata had already taken off to grab his katana — and he turned to face the tide of battle at the side of his better-prepared comrades. The meeting was forgotten until later, after the bloodshed and the cleanup that followed, when he returned to the laundry room to finish his earlier chore.

 

There, mixed in with his lord and lady’s clothing, was a pair of undergarments, carefully embroidered with Hinata’s name (probably by someone else, if he was any judge) so they could be easily identified by the castle staff. With a deft flick of his wrist, he tossed them in the general direction of the other laundry waiting to be finished. The other staff could make sure they got back to their owner. Once they were out of his hands, it was no longer Jakob’s problem.


	3. Chapter 3

Barely two days later found Jakob on his way to the training grounds for his daily routine - exactly two hours, lest he over exert and end up useless if an actual battle were to happen.

  
He arrived in a timely manner, drawing his favorite and third favorite daggers from their holsters as he approached the targets set up. They were primarily used by those who wielded bows in battle, Lord Takumi being foremost among those, although he had been strangely absent these past few days for reasons beyond Jakob’s knowledge, or care.

  
There were several others who were in the midst of their own training sessions - a behemoth of a man facing off against a blonde who was both curvaceous and ferocious, one of Lady Hinoka’s retainers, the archer, firing arrows past the head of her own fellow retainer where he sat quite peacefully, and Hinata, hacking away at a training dummy.

  
From where Jakob stood, he was making excellent progress dismembering the poor dummy, but he was making an awful lot of noise. More than was probably necessary for the task he had prescribed himself, in Jakob’s opinion. He gritted his teeth and turned his eyes away, back to the target he had selected — and let his dagger fly.

  
It struck true, hitting scarcely outside the center ring, and Jakob felt the corners of his lips curl up in satisfaction. Just a touch outside… but that could be adjusted easily enough when he flicked his wrist in follow through.

  
Bowing forward slightly, he prepared his grip on the second dagger - his favorite - and flung it at the red circle that taunted him. At the last moment before he let it loose, Hinata let out a particularly triumphant, particularly _loud_ shout — causing Jakob to jerk in surprise. His dagger sailed far off-course, taking a few hairs of that monk before landing with a thud point-down in the ground. He stared after it blankly, jaw clenching as his fingers twitched.

  
Fixing a glare in the oblivious Hinata’s direction, he stalked off to where the dagger had landed, snatching it up and narrowly avoiding the arrow the practicing archer let loose.

  
“Sorry…”

  
Her lazy apology barely registered as he made his way back to the target his other dagger was embedded in.

  
“Oho, rather testy today, isn't he? I wonder what bee is bothering him…”

  
“Oh… there’s a bee buzzing around him…? No wonder he seemed so upset…”

  
He did his best to block out the idle conversation of the others near the targets as it turned rather obviously to the topic of, well, him.

  
Taking a deep breath, he straightened himself up, as though a string held him up from the crown of his head.

  
Another shout from the direction of the training dummies (straw and flesh alike) had him glancing back over — Hinata appeared to have moved onto the next phase of his training, which seemed to involve even more shouting as he swung his sword in a seemingly random pattern, the dummy he'd been training with in shattered bits surrounding him.

  
Jakob rolled his eyes and took another deep breath (and then several after that). He managed another few throws after that before Hinata ambled his way over, hand resting on the hilt of the sword that he had remembered to arm himself with today.

  
“Mornin’, Jakob! Hey, I was just about to head over to the kitchens to scrounge up some lunch — d’ya wanna join me?”

  
Jakob tensed, having not expected the approach. He managed to refrain from accidentally flinging the dagger still held at the ready in Hinata’s direction, impressively.

  
“... I have another hour and forty-three minutes left of training to accomplish. Unlike other people, I have duties to attend outside of hacking my way through immobile training dummies and making ludicrous amounts of noise all day. Please, go make a nuisance of yourself in the kitchens by yourself — I've no interest in joining you.”

  
Hinata let out a hiss between his teeth.

  
“Harsh! I was just askin’ — grub always makes me feel better when I'm havin’ a rough day.”

  
Jakob inwardly wondered if Hinata ever actually had bad days, or if he was just making conversation.

  
“Anyways, you still owe me breakfast one of these days! I'll see ya around, though — don't train too hard, now!”

  
And with a wave, the other man was gone, and Jakob could breathe. His presence was suffocating — too dazzling, too cheerful where cheer was not called for.

  
It made Jakob crave the darker days of winter looming in the near future. He let out a soft sigh, loosening his vice grip on his favorite dagger to send it flying towards the target. It hit dead center with a very satisfying thump, and Jakob’s lips curled into another smile, leaving his stilted conversation (if it could indeed be called that) with Hinata and the too-bright smile a mere memory.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [jakob voice] i'm, like, dropping hints that i want to be left alone
> 
> [jakob voice] i want to be left alone

Jakob was being watched.

  
He could feel a pair of eyes following his movements as he gathered apples — the harvest this year was generous, and it was likely to go to waste if they didn't have every hand on deck. Perhaps Lord Corrin would appreciate some apple preserves once everything was stored for the colder months…

  
But he felt the prickling sensation intensify and tensed in response. Could an enemy have gotten through the outer walls of the castle where the orchards were located? He discretely unsheathed a dagger and slowly turned his head to meet the disgruntled gaze of Lord Takumi’s other retainer.

  
Gods, but her glare was unsettling — it was no wonder he suspected an enemy lay in wait with that fearsome look he seemed to be on the receiving end of. What exactly had her so rankled? He stayed locked in the staring match for a few more minutes, showing no sign of emotion, before refocusing on the tree that he'd claimed.

  
Scarcely another two minutes had passed before someone approached, bearing a bushel. He heard a throat clear and carefully took his time plucking the next apple, polishing it on his waistcoat, inspecting it, setting it gently on top of his own pile of fruit. The impatience that quickly filled the air gave him a slight sense of satisfaction.

  
“Hey. You're Jakob, yeah?”

  
Her voice was dripping with disdain, and he left his voice carefully neutral: perhaps no reaction would further enrage her, and he'd be left alone.

  
“I am. Is there a particular reason I've earned your apparent ire?”

  
He continued plucking the apples nearest him, dropping the ones that offended his high standards — the creatures of the earth would appreciate the offering, and perhaps the hunters in the army could down a buck or two in the process.

  
“You've been on those damn cleanup crews after the fighting, for one.”

  
He raised a delicate eyebrow. So she was one of those…

  
“... I have, yes. It is a dirty job, but I am used to cleaning up messes, being a butler.”

  
He chanced a glance from the corner of his eye. He'd not thought it possible, but her scowl appeared to have deepened. She mumbled something under her breath, and Jakob was sure he'd made out the word “scum” among those.

  
“Am I to understand you have multiple reasons for finding me reprehensible?”

  
His voice he kept light — it's not like he actually cared, but it would be good to know why precisely this ally would be unreliable in a fight. Her scowl morphed into a grimace.

  
“... Did you promise Hinata breakfast?”

  
That gave him pause. And made him think. He vaguely recalled a Hinata mention breakfast to him once, perhaps twice.

  
“I did no such thing. If he's suffering under the delusion that I'll be serving him breakfast one of these days, he is sorely mistaken. My blueberry cinnamon pancakes belong only to Lord Corrin and Lady Kamui.”

  
He heard a muffled snort following that statement and immediately wrote it off. She wouldn't find it so funny if she had tried his pancakes, although she would never get the opportunity. He was quite possessive of the recipe. Even if his lord and lady asked, he would keep it from them with his dying breath (although that was perhaps more to do with their nonexistent skills in the kitchen).

  
“Well, you may wanna let him know that — he's convinced of the opposite. Though, I'm not sure how much good it'll do you to use words… they tend to go in one ear and right out the other with Hinata.”

  
The grimace was in full force as she lifted her bushel and balanced it on one hip. She didn't bother to say goodbye. It was obvious just talking to him for that short amount of time was an annoyance. He didn't bother to pay attention to her departure, too busy trying to figure out how best to inform the stubborn, sunshiny samurai that he most certainly was not going to be making him breakfast, now or ever.

  
Perhaps a good whack to the head with one of the tree branches around the orchard would do the trick...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are fancy pastries and frustration with Felicia

His hands were shaking as he set the kettle down on the stovetop, letting them linger to try and soak up any excess heat. The sudden chill that had swept through the camp had stubbornly lingered, leaving nearly every surface out of doors covered in a thin layer of frost. Jakob himself had been equally stubborn in refusing to deviate from his current schedule, aside from being sure to check the fireplaces more frequently to keep the flames blazing. She'd not mentioned it, but he was certain Lady Kamui was appreciative of the extra care he'd been taking, and even if she wasn't, it still pleased him to make living in the castle easier. He knew from careful observation the toll her duties took on her — most evenings saw her working well into the night, burning the midnight oil till the early hours of the day.

  
Lord Corrin was less involved in the formal paperwork, but being a shining beacon of morale had a different, no less steep cost. It was why he had determined he would bake his lord’s favorite tarts to accompany his afternoon tea — the most recent battles had taken more than their fair share of hard-working soldiers. Corrin had been devastated by the pure destruction left in the wake of battle, though he had done his best to maintain a positive appearance.

  
He knew better than most gave him credit for what his role had to be.

  
Jakob took a deep breath and blew warm air over his fingers, rubbing them together for friction. His gloves were not designed with warmth in mind, but he was loathe to go about his duties hindered by proper gloves, or worse, mittens. He turned to check how the tarts were doing, only to come face to face with none other than Lord Corrin. He stuttered in surprise.

  
”M-my Lord, what brings you to the kitchens?”

  
The noble smiled brightly, giving a theatrical sniff before replying happily.

  
“It just smelled so good, I had to follow my nose to see what you were doing! Are you… you're not making tarts, are you? Strawberry ones…?”

  
His Lord looked so hopeful, shyly asking after the delicious scent filling the kitchens, and Jakob offered an indulgent smile.

  
“I thought a special treat would please you — I know the cold has brought everyone’s spirits down.”

  
He made certain not to mention the fighting, the deaths he knew weighed heavy on Corrin’s mind. His lord knew the casualties of war, but he did not accept them easily. The young prince was soft hearted, though not naive.

  
He returned his attention to Corrin as he chatted easily about what he'd been doing (distributing extra blankets and whatever warm clothing could be spared to those who needed them). He hummed neutrally in the appropriate places as he moved to the oven to check on the tarts — browned to golden and topped with rich, red strawberries from the preserves he made certain were always available. He deemed them finished and reached in to pull them out, not bothering with mitts — by now the nerves in his hands no longer registered such scorching heat, although he still remained careful not to let his hands linger overlong.

  
In his periphery, he saw a hand sneak towards the freshly baked pastries, and he quickly pulled the goods out of reach, glancing at his now-pouting lord. His indulgent smile was back as he gently chided.

  
“You'll need to wait for them to cool, my lord. They'll fall to pieces if you don't, and you'll end up with burned fingers for your trouble.”

  
Corrin let out a gusty sigh, drooping in exaggerated sadness. Jakob’s smile softened as he left the tray unattended to go grab the kettle as it began to whistle. His shoulders automatically tensed at the sound of a door banging open, his fellow retainer apologizing to the door, and then to Lord Corrin (whose fingers had been creeping closer to the unattended baked goods in his brief absence), and finally to Jakob himself.

  
“I’m sorry! I was just trying to open the door without dropping this, but my elbow slipped and got twisted around the handle…”

  
Felicia babbled on while cupping her hands carefully around whatever it was she was so concerned about dropping (a very valid concern). Jakob’s lips twisted slightly even as Corrin drew closer with interest.

  
“What's that you've got, Felicia?”

  
“O-oh! I was practicing my skills manipulating ice — and I made this!”

  
Certain of her balance now that she wasn't moving, she displayed a delicate carving, depicting a sparrow with one wing spread. Jakob grudgingly (and silently) admitted from where he stood that it was a realistic likeness. He felt the happiness he'd so recently held take a sour turn as Lord Corrin ooh’d and ahh’d over the fragile piece of art.

  
“It looks so real, Felicia! It's amazing!”

  
Her response was shy, but she was flushed with pleasure at the compliment.

  
“You think so? Hinata said it was good, too, but I wasn't so sure…”

  
Jakob thought he'd stifled the noise of derision, but from the curious looks he was now being fixed with, perhaps he hadn't been so successful… he cleared his throat awkwardly, finishing the job of transferring hot water to a more decorative pot for serving and moving to the abandoned pastries (which were just as beautiful as any silly sculpture, and far more delectable) to place them on a plate, neatly stacked.

  
“Jakob? Isn't Felicia’s ice sculpture really pretty?”

  
He felt and heard the gentle coaxing in Corrin’s voice, and worked to keep his words from sounding like the acid he had pooling in his throat.

  
“Indeed. A fine display of skill, though not one that is useful in your duties as a maid. It would be nice if you put such care into that work, as well.”

  
He cut himself off, there, the reprimand clear in Corrin’s eyes as Felicia’s face fell slightly.

  
“O-oh… I have been working on that, too, it's just… hard.”

  
Jakob found himself unable to keep his tongue behind his teeth.

  
“As it has been since you began learning the duties of a maid at a tender age, when you and your sister arrived at the Northern Fortress.”

  
Felicia flushed, and Corrin turned back to her, no doubt to assuage her feelings of inadequacy. Sure enough, he heard the murmuring and did his best to tune it out, his hands shaking for different reasons than earlier.

  
“H-Hinata was so nice earlier… he's r-really encouraging — I almost gave up on it, but he wouldn't let me…”

  
The butler’s mouth curled into a frown. He'd heard that name too often in the past week for his liking, and the constant reminder of the dimwitted retainer with no apparent sense of boundaries irked him.

  
“If he's so encouraging, perhaps your new friend would be so kind as to inspire you to perform your duties with greater efficiency and aplomb.”

  
His tone softened as he addressed Lord Corrin, whose bright smile was replaced by a disappointed pout.

  
“My apologies, my lord. I shall take your tea and tarts to your room so you can enjoy them in comfort — please excuse me.”

  
As he carried the food and tea he had strived so hard to perfect towards the intended destination, he heard a sniffle behind him, and Corrin comforting the young woman he considered a shoddy excuse for a maid.

  
“It’s okay, Felicia… you know how Jakob can be sometimes… he just takes his job so seriously. C’mon, you can come join me for tea. There’ll be strawberry tarts to go with it, so you can have some of those, too — that'll make you feel better…”

  
Jakob tuned out the words as his ire rose and he had to quash the desire to fling the tray bearing the promised tea and treats at the ground. There were more productive ways to relieve his frustration.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> holy fuck it's been a long time since I updated sorry to anyone who was reading this - have a chapter full of rambling run-ons and parentheses bc that's how I do

Unlike previous instances in which Jakob had heard the now-dreaded name of the sunny samurai, the most recent one involving his Lord Corrin and that incompetent maid, Felicia, stuck. It interrupted his usual thought stream of duties to accomplish and various ideas to ease the burden of the responsibilities his lieges shouldered, driving him to distraction and fouling his mood intensely.

He strode through the hallway, and scarcely noticed the way the other servants of the castle, and even some of the fighting forces, practically dove out of his way. He had work to do, and he had already fallen behind - simply unacceptable.

Jakob was abruptly stopped by a very nervous looking maid stepping into his path - the resulting glare nearly pushed her to tears. It was quite obvious as she stuttered a request for assistance with the midday meal that out of the mess hall staff, she had drawn the short straw in having to come speak to him. He could practically hear her knees knocking together, and relief flooded her frame as soon as he gave his terse response in the affirmative. This would set him back still further, but he'd be damned if the meal were lackluster due to the ineptitude of the mealtime staff. A sigh threatened to escape as he mentally tallied the amount of time this would eat up, tasks he'd have to rearrange on his time table - and was displeased with the result he reached. Shaking his head as he followed the slightly less terrified maid, he entered the frantic flurry of the main kitchens, much larger than the ones he was accustomed to utilizing to serve his masters.

It was unfamiliar only in the sense that it was more spacious and decidedly less private - he knew it was unreasonable, but a part of him wished they'd all leave so he could take care of the whole mess himself. At least then it would be quiet.

With his help, the process was finished expediently (although not devoid of mishaps, such as the serving staff not requesting refills of certain dishes before they were out, and several very confused knights being told that there were no spoons left, which was decidedly untrue, but no one had thought to check the second set of cutlery drawers), and suddenly cooking and serving became cleanup and putting things away. He was wiping down several tables, more so he could be out of the kitchen, which was as stifling due to the people as much as the heat of the cooking fires and stoves that had yet to be extinguished, all of which was a veritable cacophony of noise, when he overheard a familiar set of voices from the other sitting area, separated by a half-wall. He froze momentarily, his shoulders creeping up his neck as a frown grew from his neutral expression.

“Whaaaat? He said that ‘bout you? You're pullin’ my leg - he might be rude, but even he ain't _that_ bad!”

A sniffling hiccup, not quite choked down, and a reply.

“H-he did… He d-doesn't approve of how b-bad of a maid I am - he's very s-strict about r-rules and getting things done in th-the proper way… But I've always struggled with it - Flora is m-much better at being a maid than I am…”

He heard a frustrated grumble, most likely from Hinata, most likely aimed at him. Felicia was quick to pipe up in his defense, despite everything.

“H-he wasn't always that severe! When me and Flora first got to the Northern Fortress, I mean… He would volunteer to show us how to do things. He really did try to help - he might have been r-really awkward with people, but I think he was… he understood what it was like to be suddenly in a role where you need to serve people… I don't know the specifics, but Sir Gunther said something —”

She didn't get to finish her sentence before Jakob had turned the corner, his face thunderous and his hand dangerously close to the ever-present daggers of his thigh holster.

“Felicia! If you are _quite finished_ socializing, you may assist the staff in the kitchen as they finish cleaning up. Do try to avoid shattering the flatware.”

The sneer on his face was also present in his voice, and he didn't bother to acknowledge Hinata, who looked indignant on Felicia’s behalf. The maid in question looked almost about to protest before he pinned her with a look, practically daring her.

She was cowed.

She quickly muttered a farewell to the samurai and hurried to the kitchens, her head ducked to avoid the eyes that followed her.

Jakob watched as she left, his gaze unrepentant, and from the table, he heard a hiss.

“Jeeze, Jakob… You sure ain't the friendliest guy around - she was try’na defend you, y’know? What happened to the old Jakob, the one so eager to help?”

He didn't turn his head as he replied.

“Not that it's ever stopped you before, but I recommend not speaking of what you don't know or understand.”

“Whaddaya mean by that? Don't know? Don't understand?”

Jakob’s gaze sharpened as he turned to face Hinata. Hinata continued.

“What in Dawn’s name d’you think I've been trying to do? Trying, because somewhere deep down, I think you're a good person! Why're you so bent on makin’ people think you're a bad guy? I've seen how you treat your lord and lady - and she didn't get to finish, thanks to you, but Felicia was talkin’ about how you used to help her with stuff. What's so bad about people knowin’ you're a good guy? Why’s that so scary to you?”

For the first time since becoming acquainted, Jakob noted that Hinata looked genuinely upset – maybe even angry, though the butler had wondered if he were capable of such an emotion. He schooled his face carefully, the mask of neutrality back in place after the slip.

“I am not afraid of such a ridiculous thing - and I don't appreciate the insinuation that I am.”

Hinata made a frustrated noise.

“Then why?”

Jakob debated lying. It would be simple enough - Hinata would never be the wiser, for who would dispute him if he gave another reason? He considered the samurai, looking down his nose at the seated man, and decided against it. Hinata may not deserve the truth (or at least part of the truth), but perhaps the brutal honesty would manage to do what Jakob hadn't yet - drive him away.

“Because being kind for the sake of kindness has never done me any favors, that's why, and I don't bother with useless things. Good-bye, Hinata.”

And, ignoring the voice trying to call him back, he turned smartly on his heel to leave, ignoring the voice that was usually so cheerful trying to command him back for an explanation. He didn't owe that to anyone – certainly not to some nosy samurai with as dark a frown as his smile was bright.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i can't believe this started out as a joke and turned into this


End file.
